Simmondsia chinensis, commonly referred to as jojoba, is a native oilseed shrub of the Sonoran desert, including parts of Arizona, California and Mexico. The principal product extracted from the seeds is a liquid wax with characteristics similar to sperm whale oil. Jojoba oil is frequently applied as an additive in mineral oils and cosmetics.
Jojoba seed meal or flour is a by-product of the oil extraction of the seeds of the jojoba plant. Preparation of refined, de-oiled jojoba flour has been described previously, particularly in international patent application WO 94/25035. A polar extract of this refined, de-oiled jojoba flour is constituted mainly of simmondsin and its derivatives.
Defatted (de-oiled) jojoba seed meal contains approximately 30% proteins, and its supplementation in animal feed has been reported as associated with food intake reduction and growth retardation (Booth et al. 1974; Life Sci. 15:1115-1120; Verbiscar et al. 1980; Agric. Food Chem. 28:571-578). Later studies described food intake control properties after oral administration of 4,5-dimethylsimmondsin and its ferulate present in jojoba flour (Flo et al., 1998; J. Agric. Food Chem. 46:1910-1913).
It is an object of the present invention to provide novel uses of active components derived from the jojoba plant. It is another object of the invention to provide novel uses of simmondsins.